Bottle-capping machine



G1, CLARK BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1920 6 mea ks sheet 1 ArmR/vm? R. G. QLARK BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE (Ema 9, 11923 EAJYQEQL R. CLARK BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1920 6 Shaats-=$heet 3 l/VVE/VTOR mwfh BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINE Filed April 14 1920- 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Mam.

A TTOR/VEVS mg, 9, 1923. wmms R. G. CLARK BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE -Filed April 14 1920 5 fiheets sheet 6 7r I g5 15 m us. mill/Ill! A TTOR/VEV? atented ate 9, 1923..

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUIBJERT Gr. CLARK, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB "10 PARAGON CAN a CA? COMPANY, 11510., 01 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YUBK.

BOTTLE-CAMPING MACHINE.

Application filed April 14, 1920. Serial No. 378,923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, lttoena'r G. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the city and 55 State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bottle-Capping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bottle capping M machines and has for an object to provide an apparatus of this character whereby screw caps may be applied to bottles or other receptacles with great rapidity and without injury to the cap or coating thereon.

-Another object is to provide such an ap; paratus in which the entire operation is automatic, including the feeding of the bottles, feeding of the caps, screwing on out the caps, and ejection of the bottles.

Another object consists in providing such an apparatus in which the bottle is held against movement while the caps are being applied and in which the latter are seated and screwed very firmly onto the bottles.

Another object consists in providing certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts whereby the above named and other ob ects may be efiectively attained.

A practical embodiment of my 1nvent1on is represented in the accompanying drawings. in which,

Fig. 1 represents the machine in perspective.

Fig. 2 represents the machine in slde elevation.

Fig. 3 rep esents a vertical section taken in the plane olthe line HTHT of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the line IVTV of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 represents a section taken in the plane of the line VV of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 represents a detail view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing the means for moving the supporting members for the rotary elements toward and 50 away from each other.

Fig. 7 represents a section taken in the plane of the line VlI-Vll[ of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 8 represents a section taken in the plane of the line VlUll[Vl[ll of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 9 represents an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 represents a detail end view of The machine frame comprises suitable standards 1, from which project brackets 2 which serve as supports for the table 3 and also the track bars 4 and 5 which extend longitudinally through the machine. A. horizontally arranged conveyer belt 6 is located on top of the track bars 1 and 5, which belt may be driven at the desired speed from any suitable source of power (not shown herein) to move the bottles into and out of the ma- I chine.

The base 7 of the main supporting upright 8 of the machine is secured to the standards 1. which upright is provided with a suitable boss 9, which forms a bearing for a horizontally disposed rotary cross shaft 10.

The main drive shaft 11 is mounted in suitable bearings in brackets 12 uprising from the top of the upright 8. This drive shaft may be provided with a pulley 13 by which the shaft may be driven from any suitable source of power (not shown herein). This drive shaft is arranged horizontally lengthwise of the machine and at its end opposite to the pulley 13 it is provided with a gear 141: which meshes with a gear 15 of a horizontally arranged transversely disposed shaft 16 supported in suitable bearings in an extended boss 17 of the upright 8. This shaft 16 imparts an intermittent rotary movement to the shaft 10 by a star wheel connection between the two shafts, the shaft 10 being provided with a star wheel 18 and the shaft 16 being provided with the arm. 19 and stud or roller 20 arranged to enter the cross slots 21 of the star wheel. The mutilated disc 22 is arranged to engage the concave surface 23 of the star wheel for fixedly holding the star wheel at intervals in its step by step movement.

This star wheel shaft 10 is provided with a gear 24 which meshes with a gear 25 on the upper end of the vertical shaft 26, which shaft is mounted in suitable hearings in brackets 27, secured to the upright 8. The

lower end of this vertical shaft 26 is provided with'ir horizontally arranged rotary bottle carrier which is arranged to rotate step by step to move the bottles off from the belt 6, through the curved path along the table 3 and back onto the belt 6 after the caps have been screwed onto the bottles.

This carrier comprises upper and lower pairs of superimposed adjustable plates 28, 29, each pair having an annular series of cut-away portions 30, 31 forming recesses for receiving the bottles, which recesses are provided with one substantially radialside and one inclined side so as to facilitate the removal of the bottles from the carrier as they are fed in and to facilitate the delivery of the bottles onto the carrier after the bottles have had the caps screwed thereon. The means which I have shown herein for adjusting these plates comprises a series of elongated slots 32, 33, through which bolts 34 extend, said bolts having lock nuts 35 to clamp the plates in their ad usted position. By this adjustment the recesses may be varied in size to suit the occasion.

A curved guard 36 is fastened in position by brackets 37 uprising from the table 3, said curved guard being spaced the required distance from the peripheries of the upper and lower pairs of plates of the bottle carrier. This guard may be provided with longitudinal extensions 38 leading along the one side of the belt 6 where the belt enters and leaves the machine.

A vertically arranged rotary cap carrier is secured to the end of the star wheel shaft 10 opposite to the end where the star wheel is secured thereto, which carrier is herein shown as comprising a hub 39 provided with radial arms 40 to the outer ends of which are secured the cups 41 for receiving and discharging the bottle ,caps. A curved guard 42 is supported from an extension 42* on the upright 8 and it extends around one side of the cap carrier for holding the caps within the cups 41 as the cups are moved from their upper receiving position to their lower discharging position.

The means for feeding the caps at the proper intervals to the rotary cap carrier is constructed, arranged and operated as follows:

The inclined chute 43 is carried by a bracket 44 uprising from the upright 8, the discharge end of which chute is located directly above the rotary ca carrier. An escapement dog 45 is carried by a rock shaft 46, mounted in suitable bearings in the upper end of the bracket 44, a spring 47 serving to hold the escapement dog and its shaft rocked to the limit of their movement in one direction. This escapement dog is located over the chute 43 in position to permit one cap at a time to pass beneath the same as the dog is rocked.

The end of this shaft 46 opposite to that which carries the escapement dog 45 is provided with a cam 48 whichis rocked by the swinging movement of the uprising arm 49 of a bell crank lever to rock the dog 45, the lateral arm 50 of which lever is connected to the upper end of a depending rod 51 which extends through a suitable guide 52 carried by the upright 8. This bell crank lever is pivoted to swing with frictional resistance at 53 to one arm 54 of a rock lever pivoted at 55 to the bracket 44, the other arm 56 of which lever is provided with a stud or roller 57 which travels along the face of a cam 58 fixed to the shaft 16. A spring 59 serves to yieldingly hold the arm 54 depressed and the arm 56 raised with its stud or roller 57 engaged with the cam 58.

The movement of the escapement dog 45 is controlled by the passage of the bottles into the machine as follows:

A vertical shaft 60 is mounted in suitable bearings in upper and lower brackets 61 secured to the upright 8. The lower end of this shaft is provided with a finger 62 which is held normally in the path of the incoming bottles by means of a spring 63 extending from the frame to a pin 64 projecting from the shaft 60. The upper end of this vertical shaft 60 is provided with an arm 65 which is moved into and out of position to have the rod 51 rest thereon.

The bell crank lever 49-50 rocks with considerable friction on its pivot 53. Therefore, when the arm 65 is rocked out of the v path of the rod 51, the lever 4950 will move bodily with the arm 54 as the lever 54-56 is rocked. This movement will have no effect to rock the shaft 46 of the escapement dog 45. However, when the arm 65 is rocked into position to support the rod 51, and this prevents its downward movement, the lever 49-50 will rock on its pivot 53 as the lever 54-56 is rocked, thereby moving the arm 49 in the cam 48 and rocking the shaft 46 and the escapement dog 45.

Two oppositely inclined rotary elements as for. instance, rubber discs 66, 67 are mounted in suitable bearings in the two horizontally disposed members 68, 69 of a support, the ends of these members being respectively turned inwardly and outwardly as shown quite clearly in Fig. 5. These over-lapping ends are pivoted to links 70, 71. Th link 71 is ivoted between its connections with the over-lapping ends of the supporting members 68, 69 to the free end of a bracket 72 projecting from the upright 8. The link is carried by the lower end of a shaft 73 pivoted in suitable bearings in the free end of an arm 74 projecting from the upright 8. A coil spring 75 serves to yicldingly hold the link 70 snugly against the under side of the bracket 74. The upper end of thi shaft 73 is mounted to rock in suitable hearings in a bracket 76 supported loosely on theshaft 16. This shaft 73 is positively rocked first in one direction and then in the other direction by providing it. with an abutment. 77 which, in turn, engages first the cam 78 and then the cam 79 on the back of the gear wheel 80 to be shortly described.

The rocking movement. of this shaft 73 will move the supporting members 68. 69 for the rotary inclined elements 66-67 toward and away from each other with a diagonal movement as shown quite clearly in Fig. 5. This movement will move the oppositely inclined rotary elements 66, 67 laterally into and out of rolling contact with the opposite sides of the cap after it has been deposited onto the bottle as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The means which I have shown for yieldingly holding the cap screwing elements in engagement with the cap is a spring pressed latch 81 carried by the arm 74 in position to engage a recess 82 in an arm 83 project ng from the'link 70. It will be noted that the tension of this latch 81 may be adjusted by screwing its socket in or out with respect to the arm 74.

This arrangement is of some importance since it might occasionally happen that the cap would be screwed home on the bottle before the shaft 73 was rocked by the cam 79 to separate the discs 66, 67 from the cap, and this situation would cause the discs to rub and possibly abrade or otherwise injure the cap. By providing this spring latch 81, it will be seen that, as soon as the cap has been screwed home, there will be a tendency for the discs, 66, 67 to travel on the sides of the cap, which tendency will over-come the frictional grip of the latch 81 and automatically separate the supports 68, 69 even prior to the action of the cam 79.

The oppositely inclined rotary elements 66, 67 are driven from the common shaft 16 as follows:

This shaft is provided with, the gear 80' already mentioned, which gear meshes with a gear 84 at the upper end of a flexible shaft 85, the lower end of which is attached to the rotary inclined element 66. This shaft 16 is also provided with a gear 86 similar to the gear 80, which gear 86 meshes with a gear 87 secured to the upper end of a flexible shaft 88, the lower end of which is secured to the rotary inclined element 67.

This flexible driving connection for the ele-- ments 66, 67 permits their being moved into and out of their contact with the screw cap without interfering with their drive. Suitable guards 89, 90 for the gears 80, 84;, 86. 87. are loosely mounted on the shaft 16 and are supported by brackets 91, 92 from a rod 93 secured in a boss 9; of the upright 8.

The curved guard 36 is provided with a yielding recessed block 95 on its inner face machine on the conveyer it will engagethe finger 62 to swing the arm 65 into position to permit the rod 51 to rest thereon.

thereby permitting the cam 58 on the shaft 16 to rock its lever to cause the lever 49, 56 to rock on its pivot. 53 and operate the escapement dog 45 and permit a cap to be released. This cap will slide down the chute 43 into the uppermost pocket 41 of the vertically arranged rotary cap carrier. W'hen the bottle reaches the horizontally arranged rotary bottle carrier, it will be engaged thereby and moved step by step into position between the rotary elements 66, 67. In the meantime, the rotary cap carrier has been moved step by step to bring the cap into position to drop it onto the mouth of the bottle. The rotary elements 66. 67 are then moved laterally into engagement with the opposite sides of the cap and their rotary movement imparts a combined rotary and longitudinal movement to the cap to screw it onto the bottle. The rotary elements 66, 67 are then moved laterally out of engagement with the cap. The capped bottle is then moved step by step until it again rests upon the carrier 6, which carrier will convey the capped bottle from the machine.

It will be clear that the operation described is carried out continuously upon each of the successive bottles and caps as they are fed into the machine; and also that, while I have described the machine in connection with the application of a screw cap to a bottle, it is also adapted for use in applying screw caps to any form of receptacle.

I desire it to be understood that various changes may be resorted to in the form. construction and arrangement of the several parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to be limited to the details herein shown and described except as they may be included in the claims.

What T claim is 1. In a bottle capping machine. means for engaging the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing it onto the bottle. said means comprising a rotary element having a rolling contact with the side of the cap, and automatic means for positively moving the element laterally into and out of engagement with the cap.

2. In a bottle capping machine, means for engaging the cap to impart toit a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing it onto the bottle, said means comprising a horizontally arranged inclined rotary element for engaging the side of the cap, and automatic means for positively moving the element laterally into and out of engagement with the cap.

3. In a bottle capping machine, means for engaging the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing it onto the bottle. said means comprising rotary elements having rolling con tacts with opposite sides of the cap, and automatic means for positively moving the elements laterally into and out of engagement with the cap.

4. In a bottle capping machine. means for engaging the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement. for screwing it onto the bottle. said means comprising a pair of horizontally arranged oppositely inclined rotary elements for engaging the opposite sides of the cap, and automatic means for positively moving the elements laterally into and out of engagement with the cap.

5. In a bottle capping machine, means for engaging the cap with a rolling contact to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap onto the bottle. said means comprising a rotary element. a flexible drive shaft therefor, and automatic means for positively moving the element laterally into and out of engagement with the cap.

6. In a bottle capping machine, means for engaging the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap onto the bottle. said means comprising a pair of horizontally arranged in cliucd rotary elements. flexible drive shafts therefor. and automatic means for positively moving the elements laterally into and out of engagement with the cap.

7. In a bottle capping machine, means for engaging the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap onto the bottle. said means comprising a pair of horizontally arranged inclined rotary elements, flexible drive shafts therefor. automatic means for positively moving the elements laterally into and J out of engagement with the cap, and a common drive shaft for said flexible shafts.

8. In a bottle capping machine, rotary elements having a rolling contact with the cap to impart to it a. combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap onto the bottle. a support for said rotary elements comprising two members, and automatic means for positively moving the members toward and away from each other to bring the rotary elements into and out of engagement with the cap.

9. In a bottle capping machine, rotary elements having a rolling contact with the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap amas onto the bottle, a support for said rotary elements comprising two members, automatic means for positively moving the mem bers toward and away from each other to bring the rotary elements into and out of engagement with the cap and means for yieldingly holding the elements in contact with the cap against displacement.

10. In a bottle. capping machine, rotary elements having aarolling contact with the cap to impart to its. combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap onto the bottle, a support for said rotary elements comprising two members linked together. and means for rocking the links to move the members toward and away from each other to bring the rotary elements into and out of engagement with the cap.

11. In a bottle capping machine, rotary elements having a rolling contact with the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap onto the bottle, asupport for said rotary.

elements comprising two members linked together, means for rocking the links to move the members toward and away from each other to bring the rotary elements into and out of engagement with the cap, and means comprising a holding catch adapted to engage one of the links for yieldingly holding the elements in contact with the cap against displacement.

12. In a bottle capping machine, means comprising an element fitted to rotate in a plane inclined to the axis of the cap for engaging the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap onto the bottle, and automatic means for positively moving the element laterally into and out of engagement with the cap.-

13. In a bottle capping machine. means comprising elements fitted to ,rotate in planes oppositely inclined to the axis of the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing the cap onto the bottle. and automatic means for positively moving the elements laterallly into and out of engagement with the cap.

14. In a bottle capping machine. means having a rolling contact with the cap to im part to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing it onto the bottle, said means being automatically and positively movable laterally into and out of contact with the cap.

15. In a bottle capping machine, means having a rolling contact with the opposite sides of the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing it onto the bottle, said means being automatically and positively movable laterally into and out of contact with the cap.

16. In a bottle capping machine, means having a rolling contact with the opposite in Wm.-

sides of the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing it onto the bottle, said means including elements fitted to rotate in planes oppositely inclined to the axis of the cap, said elements being automatically and positively movable laterally into and out of contact with the cap.

17. In a bottle capping machine, a horizontally arranged rotary bottle carrier, means for feeding the bottles to and from the carrier, a guard for keeping the bottles v in the carrier, a vertically arranged rotary cap carrier, a. guard for keeping the caps in their carrier until they reach a position to drop onto the bottles, and means for screwing the caps onto the bottles.

18. In a bottle capping "machine, a horizontally arranged rotary bottle carrier, means for feeding the bottles to and from the carrier, a vertically arranged rotary cap carrier for receiving the caps and depositing them onto the bottles, means for screwing the caps, onto the bottles, and means controlled by the incoming bottles for intermittently feeding the caps to the cap carrier.

19. In a bottle capping machine, a horizontally arranged rotary bottle carrier, means for feeding the bottles to and from the carrier, a vertically arranged rotary cap carrier for receiving the caps and depositing them, onto the bottles, means for screwing the caps onto the bottles, means for intermittently moving the bottle and cap carriers, and means controlled by the incoming bottles for intermittently feeding the ca s to the cap carrier.

20. n a bottle capping machine, a horizontally' arranged rotary bottle carrier, means for feeding the bottles to and from the carrier, a vertically arranged rotary cap carrier for receiving the caps and depositing them onto the bottles, means for screwing the caps onto the bottles, a common means for intermittentl moving the bottle and cap carriers, an means controlled by the incoming bottles for intermittently feeding the caps to the cap carrier.

21. In a bottle capping machine, a horizontally arranged rotary bottle carrier, means for feeding the bottles to and from the carrier, a guard for keeping the bottles in the carrier, a vertically arranged rotary cap carrier, a guard for keeping the caps in their carrier until they reach a position to drop onto the bottles, means for screwing the caps onto the bottles, and means controlled by the incoming bottles for intermittently feeding the caps to the cap carrier.

22. In'a bottle capping machine, means for engaging the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing it onto the bottle, said means comprising an element having a rolling contact with the cap, and means for moving the element into and out of engagement with the cap, said last-named means being arranged to be actuated to move the element out of engagement with the cap by the rolling contact of the element with the cap at the instant the cap is screwed home.

23. In a bottle capping machine, means for engaging the cap to impart to it a combined longitudinal and rotary movement for screwing it onto the bottle, said means comprising elements having a rolling contact with opposite portions of the cap, and means for moving the elements into and out of engagement with the cap, said last named means being arranged to be actuated to move the elements out of engagement with the cap by the rolling contact of the elements with the cap at the instant the cap is screwed,

home.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 16th day of March 1920.

ROBERT G. CLARK. 

